United Future MP bouncing back on the track

By FRANCESCA MOLD

The moment Paul Adams was told he was an MP again felt like the time when his broken-down rally car suddenly kicked into life just before the start.

He was back in the race and it felt good.

The United Future MP's experience as a champion rally car driver means he is used to life being unpredictable.

But his experience as an MP has been plain bizarre so far.

He has spent the past 18 days yo-yoing back and forth, being in, out and then in Parliament again.

It all began on election night when his party won enough support (6.8 per cent) to put nine United Future MPs in Parliament.

The result meant that as candidate No 9, Mr Adams had squeaked in.

But his position was precarious. His seat in the House depended on special votes, which were still to be counted.

Last Saturday, Mr Adams got the bad news: he was out and Green list MP Mike Ward was in.

Something he had set his heart on had been taken from him.

"It felt like one time when Grandma bought me an icecream when I was four years old. Someone knocked it and it fell to the ground. Tears came to my eyes," said Mr Adams.

So he spent the next couple of days packing up his belongings in the Bowen House office he had thought would be his home for the next three years.

Mr Adams was due to board the plane back to his North Shore home at 2pm on Tuesday but he received a call from his party asking him to delay his flight.

At 3.30pm, he received another call, telling him that he would be an MP after all. It was his big moment.

His colleague Kelly Chal had made a dreadful mistake by declaring herself eligible to stand for Parliament without being a New Zealand citizen.

She was out, he was in.

Mr Adams was thrilled to be back.

But his excitement was tempered by the knowledge his entry to Parliament came at the expense of a devastated colleague who is now facing possible legal action.

"Sure I felt for her.

"I knew exactly how she felt but that doesn't stop the overriding excitement you feel yourself, that feeling of 'Hey great: I'm back'."

Mr Adams' rough ride since his arrival at Parliament also included a run of bad publicity based on the media's revival of his comments nine years ago that Aids sufferers should be quarantined. But the experience has not put him off.

He said he was used to the spotlight and would always speak his mind.

The politician returned to his racing car analogy to explain how his skills would help him to survive the next three years in the bear pit of Parliament.

"You've got to be sharp, quick-witted.

"You've got to look further ahead than you're currently operating.

"You've got a start point and a finish point and the road along the way can be rough, so it teaches you to work with other people.

"Life can never be a solo effort."

Mr Adams said he was always confident he would make it into Parliament, whether it was this time or three years down the track.

It just felt right, he said. "I was born for a time such as this."

Full election coverage

Graphic: Seats in the 47th Parliament

Full election results

Election links:
The parties, policies, electoral information, and more